2012 City Budget: What’s at Stake for Toronto Communities Winston Tinglin, Social Planning Toronto Glen Long Community Centre Community Budget Forum Hosted by Councillor Josh Colle January 11, 2012

 Overview of the City of Toronto’s 2012 budget  Proposed cuts to our communities  Making choices about the Toronto we want

2012 Budget Process  November 28: Staff-recommended 2012 operating and capital budgets released  December 2, 5-9, 13: Budget Committee meets to review budget  January 9: Budget Committee makes final recommendations on budget  January 12: Executive Committee makes final recommendations on budget  January 17-19: City Council makes final decisions on budget

The “Opening Pressure”

Choices that increased the opening pressure 2011 Budget:  City Council gave up $64 million in revenue by cancelling the vehicle registration tax  City Council froze property taxes – a 2% increase in 2011 would have generated about $47 million

Death by a Thousand Cuts Budget Committee:  recommends $85.2 million in proposed cuts plus increases to user fees including TTC and recreation  Takes $2.8 million in proposed cuts off the table – 58 student nutrition programs, programs offered in 12 TDSB shared-use community centres, aquatics at 2 TDSB pools Libraries and Recreation  cuts to library hours, purchase of library materials  elimination of priority recreation centres (end to free registered programs for children and youth in priority centres)  cuts to arenas, increase in recreation facility permit costs, increases in user fees for recreation  closure of some wading pools, outdoor pools, elimination of programming at some school board pools

Community Programs  9.8% cut to community grants for services delivered by nonprofit community organizations Homeless People  closure of three emergency shelters (Birchmount, Downsview Dells and Bellwoods)  cuts to Affordable Housing Office and Shelter, Support and Housing Administration Seniors, People with Disabilities  elimination of the Hardship Fund in June 2012  closure of visitor cafeterias in long term care homes

Child Care  closing 3 municipal child care centres  rental costs for centres to be passed on to parents ($500-$600 per year) TTC  10 cent TTC fare increase  cuts to 56 bus routes and 6 streetcar lines (TTC has taken some service reductions off the table, but bulk remain and specifics to be announced)  cuts to streetcar and subway replacement purchases  end Wheel Trans service for dialysis patients (funding to June 2012)  reduce service to pre-2004 levels

Environment  cuts to services that maintain a healthy tree canopy  cuts to sustainable energy and climate change policy development and implementation Fire & Paramedics  longer waits for firefighters and paramedics Good Jobs  elimination of over 2,300 City positions – service impacts

How are we doing? Unemployment over 9% Source: City of Toronto, 2012

How Are We Doing …..?  City of Toronto anticipates tough economic times ahead in 2012 – projects an increase of 5,000 in the Ontario Works average monthly caseload from 101,000 to 106,000  According to the 2006 Census, 24.5% of Toronto residents live in poverty – a figure based on good economic times compared to the current climate  Women, Aboriginal peoples, racialized groups, newcomers, people with disabilities, lone mothers, children and youth have much higher poverty rates than the city average

City Council has Choices – Budget Cuts are Not Inevitable  Engage and listen to communities – 13,000 residents took part in core service review identifying vital services they wanted protected  Promote equitable access to vital City programs and services  There are several was to balance the budget – let’s do it in a socially responsible way  Let’s not be penny-wise and pound-foolish

Making Choices about the Toronto We Want - Considerations  Proposed service cuts - $85.2 million plus increases in user fees for recreation and TTC  2011 surplus - $154 million  $6 million left from unanticipated assessment growth  Proposed uses for the surplus: capital reserves (for capital projects) and tax rate stabilization fund (rainy day fund)  Isn’t it raining now?

What City Council Can Do City Council can :  use the $6 million left from unanticipated assessment growth to take more cuts off the table  use the 2011 surplus to balance the budget without damaging service cuts, while also saving money for capital projects and the rainy day fund  use revenue options – e.g. a modest addition to the 2.5% property tax increase or re-instating the vehicle registration tax

Continue working to address the structural deficit -  Get Federal and Provincial Governments to play their part; develop viable long- term, revenue-generating strategies, esp. re:  TTC operating and capital costs  Child care  Social housing

Our Communities -  A vital part of our city’s social and economic infrastructure  Budget should sustain them, not damage them further  Recession has compounded the effects of poverty – already at very high levels  Budget represents choices – for better or worse

Contact  Winston Tinglin Director of Community Engagement Social Planning Toronto (416) x250